American Craft Beer The Best Craft Beer, Breweries, Bars, Brewpubs, Beer Stores, And Restaurants Serving Serious Beer.
First you know people, who know people, who’ve succumbed to the COVID-19. Then sadly things get more personal.
I worked with Adam Schlesinger during his run with Fountains of Wayne. He was a quiet and unassuming man, so not a “rock star” even at the height of Stacy’s Mom’s success, and a true pop genius…
And now he’s died due to complications of the coronavirus…such a loss.
Fountains of Wayne, which was started in 1995 by Schlesinger and Chris Collingwood (the band’s lead singer who co-wrote many of it’s songs), was a melodic pop-rock band that took its lead from life in suburban Northern New Jersey, pairing hip and ironic perspectives with killer 60’s and 70’s hooks
The band was beloved by critics, but in spite of the success of its one major hit, ‘Stacy’s Mom,” never enjoyed the success that other pop-rock units like The Cars did.
But Adam Schlesinger was always more than Fountains of Wayne. He was Renaissance man and a brilliant songwriter.
In 1996 he penned the Beatles-esque theme song to the “That Thing You Do!,” a 1996 film directed by Tom Hanks about a 1960s rock band that never quite made it.
And he found a second career writing successful songs for film, television, and theater.
Schlesinger wrote more than 150 songs for the television comedy Crazy Ex-Girlfriend where he also served as its executive music producer and won three Emmys for its music. He also won a Grammy, and the ASCAP Pop Music Award, and was nominated for Oscar, Tony and Golden Globe Awards
Adam passed away at the all-too young age of 52 on Wednesday in Patterson, New Jersey. He was a very kind man and a great artist…and he will be missed.
(Adam Schlesinger, 1967-2020)
